The report starts with a question: How on earth did Sirian know that one tile west was a so much better position for the capital? I used the 4000BC save since I wanted to play the whole game myself, to learn from my mistakes and not to rely on the skills of others. Sirian's capital was better than mine, but I failed to see how I could have found that one out?

I started research on pottery and produced 3 warriors, then one settler. My second city was founded very close to my capital to gain advantage of the wheat. Normally I don't build cities so close to one another, but this city was meant to produce workers and settlers only and thus would be kept small.

As noted by Sirian in the description for this Epic, I learned just how brutal deity barbarians are. Ouch! I lost several warriors despite keeping them on hills/mountains when attacked etc. Goody huts meant only barbarians for me, and then a barb horseman killed the defending warrior in Rome and destroyed a half-built granary. I managed to destroy some camps for some income, but later learned just to ignore them and to 'absorb' them by founding a city in their vicinity. But for a long time my border cities had their improvements pillaged, their garrisons killed and their improvements destroyed by endless hordes of barbarians. Argh.

Meanwhile, contact with the Aztecs was established in 1950BC. They were polite? I was impressed, I'm really used to annoyed first contacts. In the same year my third city was founded on the river, northwest of the capital. After founding my fourth city in 1650BC, contact with Egypt was made - they were polite, too! 1500BC gave me two massive uprisings which ruined two border cities. Scouting revealed that the Aztecs and Egyptians were at war, and in 1125BC China (cautious) and India (cautious) were found, China being at war with Egypt. The first threat came as late as 975BC from the Aztecs, and of course they were given what they demanded. Actually, I was surprised how friendly the world was to me in this game.

In 510BC, out of nowhere an English galley landed a settler on my soil and founded Leeds in my hinterland! Argh. This would later prove to be worse than it seemed at that time. The good thing about it, though, was that I was their first contact, and trading around contact catapulted me to the middle ages and gave me a world map.

In 110BC I revolted to republic after four turns of anarchy. Here's the situation in 10BC:

Until now the following wonders had been built: Pyramids, oracle, great library, great lighthouse, hanging gardens, great wall, colossus, Sun Tzu's art of war, Sistine chapel, Bach's cathedral, Leonardo's workshop, Copernicus' observatory, Magellan's voyage. All in BC times. I was really impressed - though I think 'frightened' was more appropriate. ;)

In 250AD, Egypt was destroyed, and in 390AD something really frustrating happened:

Argh! I had tried as much as I could to put cultural pressure on Leeds, but Lutetia had been founded not too long ago (and was 1 turn away from a temple!). I wanted Leeds to flip to me, but it never occurred to me that this small city, far away from its capital, could actually force one of my cities, near Rome, to flip to them! They even have had their border expansion only a few turns ago, so there couldn't have been more than a temple or a library in it. :( If you don't have many cities to begin with, every city counts. This flip hurt, and I was really frustrated.

Back to world politics...the world now united against the Iroquois, with me being the only exception (someone had to remain neutral to write about it, right? ;)). In 770AD I was able to buy steam power (I had stopped research shortly after the flip), which normally provided enough logistical power to wage and win any war you want to. But I lagged so much behind tech-wise that I had little hope of any successful warfare. I always wanted to attack China because they were relatively weak compared to the other civs - but they were strong compared to me, and I really had no inclination to attack fortified mech infantry with my cavalry. So decided to wait at least for infantry and artillery, better for tanks.

The Iroquois were destroyed in 980, an in 1030 the world allied against China! Argh. I really hoped they could hold out until I was ready to participate. When they were on the border of collapsing, they made peace with everyone, and now England became the target of the world. Since there were two English cities in my territory, I now had the chance to see what forces were state of the art in deity games - not a pretty sight! When both cities were captured by the Aztecs, they left a "small' garrison there:

I really don't know why everyone was so friendly to me, but they could have squashed me like a bug anytime they wanted to. But now I finally had the tech for tanks! I geared my production for total war. China would pay for millennia of humiliation! And if I would die in the attempt, so be it! Now or never, I had enough of passive play. After a minimal aggression force had been built, I positioned my troops on the borders to China and, eager to shape the future for myself, and decided to declare war in two turns.

India had other plans.

They had launched the space ship in 1370AD and denied me some deity action. Oh well. I scored a meager 1534 points (at least more than China! :)), but what was interesting was that I ranked first in productivity! I think I would have had a chance to defeat at least China, if more time had been available.

What I should have done different, I really don't know. Enlightenment welcome. ;)